The Bois Blanc Island Site

mikewhite · Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 7:54 pm Post subject: Plane Down

It was reported by someone on BBI, who I will not name, that a plane was heard, than a loud boom, and then no plane was heard. This happened yesterday afternoon somewhere out near Zela Shoals. Planes and helicopters and boats have looked all day today. I guess a plane is really missing.
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"The more nature you keep, the more nature you'll enjoy." and "It's not who is right, but what is right."

theeislandgirl · Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 12:09 am Post subject:

Oh that is sad so sad !!
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Rob · Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 9:28 am Post subject:

Wow, that's sad news. Please keep us posted as more is known.
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Squeaky · Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 12:57 pm Post subject:

Awful.... Nothing has been on the news, has it?

mikewhite · Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 2:53 pm Post subject: Dakota

What I heard today is that it was a Dakota with two people on it. It left Mackinac for the thumb area. I walked from my place at Sand Bay west along the shore all the way to Wagner's Place and saw nothing washed up.

It hasn't been found on land. It isn't in shallow water. The only place left is deep water. Therefore, it is believed by many that it is out in the middle of the south channel possibly south of the Zela Shoals nun.
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mwhite@wildblue.net
"The more nature you keep, the more nature you'll enjoy." and "It's not who is right, but what is right."

theeislandgirl · Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 8:51 pm Post subject:

Oh too too sad , as most of you know my family history of losing 2 of my family members, a father then later a brother, in Lake Huron .near the island. I pray they find them alive of course but not likely so do pray they find them for the family so they can have closure as we did ...
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The girl that would swim daylight to dark every day down at the old dock ...

mikewhite · Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 9:33 pm Post subject: Follow up

The cival air patrol stopped at the house today and asked if we had heard or saw the plane Friday. They only asked questions, no ground search.

9&10 news talked about it at 6pm today. Here is the article from their web site.
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Search is on for Missing Small Plane
Posted: 8/26/2007

The Michigan Wing of the Civil Air Patrol has been hard at work this weekend looking for a small single engine plane with two people aboard, that's been missing since Friday.
The plane took off from Mackinac Island Airport on Friday afternoon and was in route to Bad Axe, Michigan... But it never got there.
Headquartered in Gaylord, more than 60 wing members and eight civil air patrol planes started searching for the overdue aircraft yesterday afternoon. So far, they've logged more than 30 hours of flight time.
Ground teams followed up on leads phoned in by lcoal residents and supported flight teams when needed.
They are concentrating their search on the plane's projected flight path along the lake huron coast.
If anyone saw anything Friday afternoon, or since, that might help searchers, they can call 248-240-2275.
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mwhite@wildblue.net
"The more nature you keep, the more nature you'll enjoy." and "It's not who is right, but what is right."

theeislandgirl · Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 10:06 pm Post subject:

Thanks mike for the update ..

I know how the family is feeling right now too well
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The girl that would swim daylight to dark every day down at the old dock ...

katie · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:50 pm Post subject:

Karen Dodds and Brooke Stauffer

doug miller · Resident Royalty Joined: 03 Dec 2002 Posts: 511

Mike:

Do you know if that person has told the authorities what they heard? I assume they have, but if not, it might be very helpful to the families as well as the searchers in helping limit the search area.

I sent an email to a family member of one of the people aboard to tell him to check our website.

mikewhite · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject: One step ahead

Doug, when I said it was reported I should have said reported to our local emergency system. The Coast Guard and the surrounding airports knew before 2pm Friday what had been heard. The one who heard has been interviewed by the Coast Guard and the Civil Air Patrol. The question is, has the families been notified of this? If you were a family member of someone missing, wouldn't you like to know every detail?

That is why I emailed the family a short time ago. I have stuck my neck out again. If someone jumps me for doing that I am going to jump back.

The best thing that we on the island can do right now is take walks along the shore and look for any debris that may have came ashore.
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mwhite@wildblue.net
"The more nature you keep, the more nature you'll enjoy." and "It's not who is right, but what is right."

John Elmer Engel · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 9:08 pm Post subject: Crash

Heard about it on the 11:00 news Sunday. Said only that a plane was missing, left Mackinac for the thumb.

Some very empty, lonely water space on their flight path...
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mikewhite · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject: Forgot a detail

I forgot a detail in this story. The neighbor of the person who heard the boom also heard it and also has been contacted by authorities.
I can only come to the sad conclusion, based on the fact that two people heard the sound, that the plane is down in the South Channel somewhere south of the western part of this island. Winds could carry debis to this island or to the mainland.
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mwhite@wildblue.net
"The more nature you keep, the more nature you'll enjoy." and "It's not who is right, but what is right."

j. munro-duncan · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:14 pm Post subject:

Two gentlemen from Civil Air Patrol came to our cottage on Sunday asking me if we had heard anything between 11am and 1pm on Friday. I told him that we hadn't heard anything; we stayed inside most of the day due to the thick fog. When I walked out onto the beach early that morning, I couldn't even see a horizon line. According to the CAP guys, the "crash" was heard in the area between Bible Road and the tip of Lime Kiln Pointe. Nothing turned up on our beach either, at least for now.
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mikewhite · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:44 am Post subject: Weather

When the call came to our house, Friday, about the loud boom, I went out to the beach and scanned as far as I could see. The fog wasn't as thick here at Sand Bay. I could see the lower peninsula faintly and that is 4 miles away. Looking toward the bridge, and Zela Shoals nun, it was thicker. The ceiling was low and there was little wind.

The following day, when the search was going on, it was clear, but there was a strong wind blowing right down the channel from west to east. Therefore, any debris would be blown to the east that day. I have heard that debris was found east of where the boom was heard.

I'm putting these details on here because the family of the missing people are watching this site. I know, from losing my cousin right out in the same area, that any information or detail is important to the family.
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mwhite@wildblue.net
"The more nature you keep, the more nature you'll enjoy." and "It's not who is right, but what is right."

Ron Petersen · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:53 am Post subject:

I see in the Cheboygan tribune web site that they found items along the mainland shore west of Cheboygan
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Conis · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:45 am Post subject:

http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2007/08/29/news/news1.txt
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Dan Reynolds · $$ Site Donor $$ Joined: 13 May 2002 Posts: 488

While searching for news about the plane down, I also found this story, which I must have missed at some point in the past:

http://www.tv7-4.com/Global/story.asp?S=5846723&nav=1vrjdFwJ

What happened there? I never heard a word about it...

theeislandgirl · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject:

Mike ... when your cousin ..my brother was lost ..you did a really in detail great job of where he might be ... I will never forget the wonderful job you did .. .it helped me to know .. thank you

you are now helping this family out and again you are trying your best ..

Being in this sitation I know how important it is to the family ..

you have a kind heart ...
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The girl that would swim daylight to dark every day down at the old dock ...

Ron Petersen · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:22 am Post subject:

Any more news on the plane?? - I heard they were finding items on the shore and that was the last I heard.
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40 years in a row driving 600 miles to get here!!!

doug miller · Resident Royalty Joined: 03 Dec 2002 Posts: 511

If you go to the link at Katie's 8-27 post, you can get most recent updates.

Ron Petersen · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:19 pm Post subject:

Thanx Doug - I didn't realize that it kept updating
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40 years in a row driving 600 miles to get here!!!

theeislandgirl · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 12:03 am Post subject:

Yes .. Katie did good to put that on for all of us but like you I did not know it either ..

Its a good site for the updates and also you can leave a message for the family ...... there are pictures and etc ..

I am sharing this info so incase others do not know just click on the names Katie put on the site and it will go to where the updates are ...
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The girl that would swim daylight to dark every day down at the old dock ...

mikewhite · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:38 pm Post subject: Left window trim found

At about 6pm tonight, 9/6/07, while looking for flowers along the shore, I found the interior left window trim off the missing plane. It has been turned over to the local police. It was dark blue and had a velvet texture. I thought to look at Socata Trinidad TB-20 planes for sale on the internet and was able to match the piece up with a picture of a TB-20 built in 1999. See pictures:

http://www.bois-blanc.com/phpBB2/album_page.php?pic_id=1810
http://www.bois-blanc.com/phpBB2/album_page.php?pic_id=1819
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mwhite@wildblue.net
"The more nature you keep, the more nature you'll enjoy." and "It's not who is right, but what is right."

Squeaky · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:15 pm Post subject:

Were the family aware of these pictures and the finding before this was posted? So sad for them and their family. Our "Thoughts and Prayers" aree with them.